A Nevada woman has been sentenced to between 12 and 35 years in prison after admitting she fatally ran over her boyfriend during a violent confrontation triggered by jealousy and drug use.
Julie Bush, 31, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and DUI resulting in death for the May 2024 killing of her boyfriend, Richard “Rick” Penardo, 51. Bush was initially charged with open murder, attempted murder, drug possession, DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm, and domestic battery, but later reached a plea deal with prosecutors.
According to court records and statements made during sentencing, the fatal incident stemmed from Bush discovering tampons in Penardo’s trash, which she assumed belonged to another woman. Investigators later said the tampons likely belonged to Penardo’s female roommate.
Bush and Penardo began arguing, and the confrontation quickly escalated. Surveillance footage from a Ring camera captured Penardo retrieving a long steel chain and using it to smash the windows of Bush’s vehicle. In response, Bush got behind the wheel and tried multiple times to hit Penardo with her car.
On her third attempt, she successfully struck him, sending him airborne and into a nearby brick wall. Penardo suffered multiple brain bleeds and collapsed lungs. He died the following day in a Las Vegas hospital.
Investigators also discovered bags of methamphetamine and fentanyl in Bush’s vehicle. She admitted to police that she had used fentanyl just hours before the deadly incident.
During the sentencing hearing, Bush tearfully addressed the court, saying, “I love him very much. I’m sorry that he passed away, and I wish I could change it, but I can’t. I know there’s not a sentence in the world that’s going to make anybody satisfied.”
Her public defender argued that her behavior on police bodycam footage showed clear remorse.
But Penardo’s mother, Grace Fisher, had strong words for Bush. “My son wasn’t perfect,” she said. “He made plenty of mistakes and poor choices during his life. His biggest mistake was ever getting involved with Julie Bush. She made his life a living hell.”
Penardo had a criminal past of his own, having served time for unemployment insurance fraud and accepting an Alford plea in connection with a 2008 murder case—allowing him to maintain his innocence while acknowledging the evidence against him was strong enough for a conviction.
Judge Carli Kierny handed down the sentence of 12 to 35 years at the Clark County District Court, closing a case that combined elements of jealousy, domestic violence, substance
